Gerrit Lansing

Unable to find a job in journalism, Gerrit Lansing moved to DC in 2008 to take an internship at The Heritage Foundation.

As luck would have it (for both Lansing and the conservative movement) an internship at Heritage would turn into a full-time job and a career working in the Republican Party, as he currently serves as the Digital Director for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

Lansing said he arrived at Heritage when its blog was “just starting to grow in leaps and bounds,” which gave him the unique opportunity to shape the direction of the organization’s online efforts.

“They didn’t really realize, I think, what they had on their hands, which was basically early, early Tea Party stuff,” he said.

As Digital Director for the party committee that helps Republicans get elected to the House or Representatives, Lansing oversees all of the NRCC’s online platforms, including social media.

“I think new media has found it’s place, and it’s not so new anymore,” Lansing says, adding that it’s overtaken the traditional communications role in politics. “I can only name a handful of GOP flacks in DC who are both effective and are not on Twitter.”

Lansing argues that to be effective, though, you need to be aggressive on all your communications platforms, not just Twitter.

For young people looking to rise up the ranks in politics, Lansing suggests you, “Arrive early, stay late and say yes to every opportunity that comes your way.”

And get on Twitter, of course.